Yamaha have a major testing programme lined up before the testing moratorium at the end of November, after a mixed season where the mixture of fortunes went the wrong way.
Substitute Monster Yamaha rider Michael van der Mark will miss his chance of joining the Valencia tests as a result, as the factory enlists the satellite team and rider Johan Zarco in the efforts to get back on course.
Yamaha racing boss Lin Jarvis spoke of “a difficult technical year.” They had won races early in the season, “then got into difficulties at tracks where we didn’t expect it, mainly in low-grip situations.”
The problems scuppered pre-season favourite Maverick Vinales’s hopes, and the Spaniard told press that “testing is more important than racing,” suggesting that the team will be using the Valencia round to advance the test programme.
Rossi has previously said that the difficult handling problems had cost him more than breaking his leg.
Rossi, Valencia MotoGP 2017
A revised engine was “in the programme”, said Rossi before the weekend. “But our problem is the chassis. We have been struggling a lot, and we don’t know how to fix it.”
In addition to the two days at Valencia, Yamaha are to take both factory riders and Zarco to Sepang before the end of the month.
